Middle East

Human rights monitor reveals ‘harrowing’ testimonies of Israeli violations in northern Gaza

'When the child with the psychological disorder stepped out, he ran towards an Israeli tank. I called out to him, but he didn’t respond. They shot him dead immediately,' Palestinian civilian tells Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor

Mohamed Majed  | 29.12.2024 - Update : 30.12.2024
Human rights monitor reveals ‘harrowing’ testimonies of Israeli violations in northern Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor revealed Saturday that it received "harrowing" testimonies documenting serious crimes committed by the Israeli army against Palestinian civilians during its raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital and surrounding areas in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops forcibly evacuated patients and medical personnel Friday from the hospital, and several were detained before setting fire to large sections, rendering it completely inoperable, according to a statement by the Palestine Health Ministry

The attack on the hospital forced the closure of the northern Gaza Strip's last major medical facility.

"These crimes included deliberate killings, field executions, as well as sexual and physical assaults on women and girls from medical teams and displaced women in the area," said the Geneva-based Monitor.

Based on the testimonies it collected, the monitor reported that "Israeli forces a series of horrific crimes during their assault on the hospital. These included detonating booby-trapped robots near several inhabited homes, causing their collapse and killing civilians inside."

The crimes also included "Israeli soldiers executing civilians on the spot, some of whom were wounded, while others carried white flags," according to the monitor.

It revealed that the army “detained dozens of women and girls, subjecting them to severe abuse amounting to sexual harassment, alongside degrading treatment that violated their human dignity. This included beating them and forcing them to remove their hijabs and clothing.”

The Monitor said Israeli forces “forcibly evacuated everyone in the area, compelling them to flee outside the northern Gaza governorate. During this operation, the army abducted dozens of individuals, including members of medical and service teams, such as Dr. Hossam Abu Safyieh, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and journalist Islam Ahmed."

Someone identified as A.A., 41, recounted to the Euro-Med Monitor team: "I am a volunteer paramedic. I was staying in a house near Kamal Adwan Hospital with 11 civilians. Around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, we heard a vehicle at the door. I told those with me it seemed like the army was placing explosive robots. Looking out the window, I saw several robots in front of homes in the area.

“We left our house and moved to another nearby, hoping to survive the explosions. About half an hour later, the robots started detonating. The sounds were massive and terrifying, like miniature nuclear bombs,” he added.

He described a tragic incident when a child with psychological disorders began running toward an Israeli tank. Despite calling out to him, the child did not respond, and soldiers shot and killed him.

During that time, he continued, “A young man who had reached another house in the area told us that the place they sought refuge in was bombed, injuring several people. I rushed with others to help, but as we approached the house, an Israeli aircraft fired another missile at it. We managed to evacuate one of the injured and found one dead. However, we were also injured in the process. At that moment, we heard screams from a nearby house that had been hit as well. We were in a dire state, injured and unable to help.

“We returned to the house amid ongoing explosions. In the morning, we went back to our original house to find it almost completely destroyed. Despite that, we sat in the kitchen, about 14 of us. Then army vehicles began shelling the house. We shouted that we were civilians. The homeowner stepped out, waving a white flag, but the soldiers immediately shot him dead from close range. When we tried to retrieve his body, they fired a shell at us, injuring more of us. Among us was a child who seemed to have a psychological disorder, worsened by the relentless bombing."

“Later, the army sent a civilian (a Palestinian detainee) to tell us to surrender. We said we were civilians and raised a white flag. They led us to an open area near a cemetery, where we were forced to strip down to our underclothes and stand in the freezing cold. When the child with the psychological disorder stepped out, he ran towards an Israeli tank. I called out to him, but he didn’t respond. They shot him dead immediately. There was an armoured personnel carrier and a tank in the area. A soldier ordered us to gather at a specific spot. Among us were five injured individuals who were forced to walk in front of the tank. Suddenly, they were shot dead without any questioning."

In the same assault, the Euro-Med Monitor documented that nurses, patients and their companions at the Kamal Adwan Hospital were subjected to acts amounting to sexual violence.

Israeli soldiers forced women and girls to remove their clothing under threats, insults and offensive slurs targeting their honor. Several women and girls also reported being sexually harassed.

Israel has killed more than 45,400 victims in Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack by Hamas, reducing the enclave to rubble.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala

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